Automatic plate trimming machine



A. D. LUND 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Jan. 13,1953 Filed Oct. 17, 1946 INVENTOR. flRTHUR 0. LU/VO Jan. 13, 1953 I LUND2,625,223

AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Shet 3 A. D. LUND PM nl 2522AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Jan. 13, 1953 Filed Oct. 17, 1946 Jan.13, 1953 A. D. LUND AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Oct. 17 1946 Nm Nm WK INVENTOR. flfiTHUR D. LU/VD 17 T TOR/YE Y5Jan. 13, 1953 A. D. LUND AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet6 0 8 M m m0 .rr n n U m fl Filed 00ft. l7 1946 Jan. 13, 1953 A. D. LUNDAUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 7Fla-Z3 A F/g.l3 A 158 swan/whorl Jan. 13, 1953 A. D. LUND 2,625,223

AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 8Patented Jan. 13, 1953 AUTOMATIC PLATE TRIMIMING MACHINE Arthur D. Lund,Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Solar Corporation, 'Milwaukee, Wis,, acorporation of Delaware Application October 17, 1946, Serial No. 703,799

Claims.

1 This invention relates generally to improvements in machines formaking storage battery grid plates and more particularly to a machinefor trimming the plates to size.

The grids used in storage batteries, for carrying the electro-chemicalmaterial, are in accordance with present day production methods ofmanufacture castin units of two in what are generally called grid platesor grid panels. These two grid plates remain connected together untilthe grids are cast, sized, and bonded and finally ready for installationin the battery, whereupon the plates are split to separate the grids,ready for assembly into cell units. The first operation is, of course,the casting of the grid plates and for reasons .of properly molding,filling, and evenly distributing the molten material throughout themold, the plates when completed necessarily have a marginal framesurrounding the grids which must be trimmed off accurately beforefurther operations. 'It may here be noted that the casting operation maybe carried out in any of the high speed machines well-known in the artand such as represented by United States Patents 'No. 1,747,552, issuedFebruary 18th, 1930; No. 1,811,143, issued June 23rd, 1931; Nos.1,843,774, 1,843,775, 1,843,776 and 1,843,777, all issued February 2nd,1932'; No. 1,959,484, issued May 22nd, 1943; No. 2,-028,790,'issuedJanuary 28th, 1936, and No. 2,194,082,issued March 19th, 1940. Thesizing, as to thickness, may be carried out by a machine such as shownin United States Patent No. 2,098,808, issued November 9th, 1937. Thepasting of the plates with the active material may be carried out bymachines such as shown in United States Patents Nos. 2,081,943 and2,081,944, issued June 1st, 1937, and the bonding of the plates afterpasting may be done in a machine such as shown in United States PatentNo. 2,195,723, issued April 2nd, 1940.

My present invention has as its primary object the provision of a highspeed automatic machine into which the rough cast plates may be fed fromthe casting machine and which will operate to accurately trim off themarginal material and deliver the plates ready for further operations,while separately disposing of the scrap material trimmed from the plate.The machine embodies as its primary operating elements a punch and dieproperly shaped to punch out the plates, and it is further an importantobject of my invention to provide means whereby the marginal scrap maybe disposed of without requiring that it itself be cut into sections inorder to free it from the punch.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine in which-theoperations of feeding the plates in succession to the punch and die, andseparate delivery of the trimmed plates and scrap, are all positivelyand mechanically timed to the end that the machine will operate rapidlyand without danger of jamming or otherwise becoming inoperative.Inconnection with this object of my invention, I provide means wherebythe plates may be fed one at a time to the punch and die regardless ofthe thickness of the plates, so that the machine willaccommodate itselfto operation upon plates 01": all conventional thicknesses without anyresetting or attention upon the part of the operator.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a machine for thispurpose which embodies a frictionally retarded ejector means in the die,against which the punch forces the plate in order to trim away themargin, and which ejector means due not only to the frictionallyresisted displacement aforesaid, but to its inertia as well, will allowthe plates to be pressed out fiat by the punch so that any warping ofthe plates which may occur during the casting operation will be overcomeand the plates will be delivered in perfectly fiat condition.

These and othermore detailed and specific objects will be disclosed inthe course of the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machineembodying my invention and viewing the same from what will behereinafterfor convenience sake referred to as its front or forwardside.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevational view but looking at the machine from therear.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal and vertical sectional view through themachine.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal and longitudinal and sectional view through themachine taken substantially along the line 4-4-4 in- Fig. 3.

Fig. 4A is an end view of the means for frictionally retarding themovement of the plate ejecting means,

Fig. 5'is a top'plan --view of the machine and with certain partsthereof shown broken away and in section to disclose certain details ofconstruction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the punch and die and associatedelements of the machine as distinctfrom other parts thereof and withportions broken away and in section to disclose the mounting andformation-cf certain parts.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the punch and die viewing the same fromthe end thereof located at the bottom in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional and elevational view along the line 88in Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal and vertical sectional view along the line 9-9in Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the upper portionof the die and the delivery point for the plates and the stripperelement by which the plates are fed one at a time to the die, this viewbeing taken substantially along the line ll-i in Fig. 14.

Fig. ll is a fragmentary detail and sectional view along the line HH inFig. 10 showing the manner in which one plate is supported over the dieready for trimming.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail view showing the support lugs upon theplates in section and illustrating the operation of the stripper elementby which the plates are taken one at a time from the delivery point andfed to the die.

Fig. 13 is a horizontal sectional view along the line i3--l3 in Fig. 10.

Fig. 13A is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification of one ofthe grid plate lugs.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged vertical and cross sectional view through acentral part of the ma chine viewing the die from its face and takensubstantially along the line lfli4 in Fig. and along the line l-l 4 inFig. 15.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary detail side elevation along the line i5l 5 inFig. 16.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view along theline |6l6 in Fig. 14.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to thedrawing, my improved machine comprises a main or base frame unitdesignated generally at 20 which is of heavy cast construction and hasupright spaced side portions 2l 22 rigidly joined by cross members,designated throughout at 23. The upper center portions of the frame sideportions 2| and 22 have heavy, laterally enlarged U-shaped portions 24forming a transverse opening wherein is located the punch and diemechanism, designated generally at 25. The upper portions of the U-shaped enlargements 24 are held rigidly together by tie bolts indicatedat 2B in order to counteract the spreadin pressure between theseportions occasioned by operation of the punch. Adjacent one end of theframe I provide a main drive shaft 21 journaled in bearings 28 andprovided at its center with a crank 29 for operation of the punch. Asleeve 30 (Fig. 4) is keyed, as indicated at 3|, to the rear end of theshaft 21 and journaled upon the sleeve is a fly wheel 32 held in placeby a flat circular plate 33 secured by a cap screw to the shaft. Thesleeve 39 has a radial extension 35 in which is a bushing 35 adapted toregister with a similar bushing 3'! in one spoke of the fly wheel 32 toreceive a shear pin indicated at 38. The fly wheel 32 hascircumferential grooves 39 adapted to receive a plurality of V- belts 40which operate over a similarly grooved pulley l! driven by an electricmotor 42 or other suitable prime mover. As herewith shown the motor 42is supported upon a swinging base 43 pivoted at 35 to an upper portionof the frame assembly of the machine and one or more screws '35 arearranged to raise and lower the motor with respect to the frame in orderto tighten the belts 40. The foregoing arrangement is such thatoperation of the motor 42 will rotate the fly wheel 32 and operate thedrive shaft 21 but it will be understood that should a jam occur anyplace in the machine parts driven by the drive shaft the shear pin 38will be sheared off the bushings 3t and 31 allowing the fly wheel toturn freely, and the machine to stop.

The punch and die mechanism 25 comprises a cross head indicated at 46having at its sides fiat gibs or keys 4? which are slidably mounted inguides or ways 48 provided for their accommodation in the rigid topportion 49 of the frame assembly. The cross head 46 is thus supportedfor reciprocation lengthwise in the frame or parallel with the sides 2|and 22 and to so operate the cross head I provide a connecting rod 50which is pivoted at one end on a cross pin 51 in the cross head and itsother end is mounted upon the crank -29 which translates the rotarymotion of the drive shaft 21 in the usual manner. It will be apparentthen that the operation of the drive shaft 21 will result in a back andforth movement of the cross head 46 at a frequency dependent upon therate of rotation of the drive shaft and through a range or amplitudewhich is determined by the throw of the crank 29.

The punch and die mechanism 25 further includes a die bed or face plate52 (Fig. 3) Which is rigidly secured crosswise between the frame sides2l22 in facing and spaced relation to the cross head 46. The frame has amassive cross portion 53 in which the bed plate 52 is fastened and whichhas an opening 55 registering with a large clearance opening 55 providedin the bed plate. The bed plate 52 is provided at its opposite ends withthe usual posts 58 on which a punch plate 51 is slidably mounted bysuitably bored and bushed bosses 5! formed at its ends for this purpose.The punch plate 5i is thus supported for movement toward and away fromthe die bed plate 52 and to so operate the punch plate it is secured, asdesignated at 58, to the adjacent end face of the cross head 46.

Referring now for the moment to Fig. 14 particularly, I show therein atA the usual grid panel or plate in the shape and in the condition inwhich it comes from the casting machine. As will be noted this gridplate includes two grids B and C having the usual marginal frames Dwithin which are formed the reticulated centers or wires E for receivingand holding the pasty electro-chemical material. The lugs F by which thegrids are finally connected and supported in the battery project inopposite directions and serve during the manufacturing processes as ameans by which the trimmed plates may be carried and conveyed duringvarious operations as pointed out in detail in the earlier patentshereinbefore identified. During the casting operation, as has also beenpreviously referred to, there is formed about the two grids a completelyenclosing, marginal frame designated generally at G, which must betrimmed off in order to render the grid plates ready for furtheroperations and it is of,

course for the purpose of cutting off this marginal material G evenlyand accurately around the margins and lugs of the grids D and-C that Iprovide the present machine. It will be noted that the marginal materialG which encloses the grid plates as they come from the casting machinehas laterally projecting lugs H near its upper corner portions andinwardly of which lugs there are formed openings I through the plates.It will, of course, be understood that the grids B and C are joined byan intermediate ribbed portion J and that this rib is not removed by thepresent trimming operation but is retained to hold the grids inconnected relation during all operationsup to the point where the gridsare split and finally assembled for insertion into the batteries.

In order to perform the necessary trimming operation the punch plate 51will obviously be required to carry a punch 59, the exterior shape ofwhich-is-identical to the shape of the grids B and when they are removedfrom the waste marginal material G while the die bed .plate 52will-carry -a die 90 having an opening BI shaped and sized to nicelyreceive the punch 59 with a shearing actionall around its edges. Theexact details of the punch and'the die and their mount.- ing andarrangement uponthe punch plate .5] and bed plate 52 are largelyconventional and will not be described in detail herein. It will beobvious, however, that when one of the rough cast plates A issupportedover the face of the die and properly centered with respectthereto that the forward or working stroke of the cross head 45 willcarry the punch .59 up against the plate and will shear out the centerthereof to the desired outline, pushing the finished plate slightly.into the die opening 6| in order to shear the marginal material G 01fcleanly and evenly all around the plate.

As a support against which the grid platemay bear as it is forced intothe die, and also as a means for ejecting the trimmed grid platetherefrom, I provide a heavy ejector member or plate designated at 62which is, of course, shaped to nicely fit the opening 6| in the die.This ejector plate 62 is secured, as designated at 63, to the end of amassive ejector slide member 64 which, like the-aforesaid cross head 45is provided with gibs or keys 65 along its sides slidably supported inWays 65 secured in the upper portion of the frame. The arrangement thussuch that the slide member 64 and attached ejector plate may move backand forth in the same direction and plane as the cross head 46, as willpresently appear. Such movement of the slide member 54 and ejector plate62 is permitted but frictionally retarded by means of a pair of pressureplates 61 and 69 extending transversely outwardly of the adjacent end ofthe machine frame and bearing respectively downwardly and upwardly uponfriction shoes 69 and 10 which engage the flattened upper and lowerfaces of an extension H which is bolted at 12 to the end of the slidemember 54 and abutted against a shoulder 13 formed thereon. The plates6! and 8B are yieldably drawn together by heavy expansion'coil spring Mbraced upwardly against the lowerplate 98 and coiled about a stud lthread? ed at 16 into the upper plate. The lower end of the stud 75 hasa nut and washer l! by which the spring 74 is supported and adjusted inorder to bring the tension of the spring into play to draw the platestogether. The extremities of the plates 61 and 68 loosely straddle studs'58 which are threaded into the adjacent ends of the frame as designatedat 19 in Fig. 4. Clamp plates 99 are placed on the studs 18 to engageopposite edge portions of the plates 6i68 and so hold the plates againstmovement with the slide extension 19. Limited movement of the plates61-458 is provided however both upwardly and transversely by theprovision of spacing sleeves 9! upon the studs between the aforesaidclamp plates 89. The length of these spacing sleeves 8'! is such thatwhen nuts 82 on the ends of the studs 18 are pulled up tight the clampplates 89 will be held tightly on the sleeves without clampingengagement with the ends of the plates 61-68,

which are thereby left free tomove'slightly -and in different directionsin order to accommodate this friction mechanism to any minorirregularities in the movements ofthe ejector slide. The clamp plateswill, however, so closely fit the extremities of the plates 6-|68 thatthey will be locked against all but extremely minute movements with theslide. The aforesaid stud 15 penetrates theslide extension II and anelongated slot '83 is provided in this extension to enable the slide tomove with respect to the .friction mechanism to the desired range.

In its normal or inoperative position the ejector plate 62 projectsslightlyfrom the face of the die 69 toward the punch as shown in Figs..3 and 4. From this position the ejector plate is moved into the openingin the die by the pressure of the grid plate as it is being trimmed andforced into the die by-operation of the punch and it will, of course, beunderstood that this movement of the ejector plate is very slight due tothe fact that it projects but little beyond the face of the die and willenter the die on its opposite movement only a distance equal to thethickness of the grid plate. To return the ejector plate from itsposition inside the die back to its normal position, I provide sliderods 84 which extend alongsidethe punch parallel thereto and throughopenings v85 provided in the machine frame for the reception of theserods. This arrangement is bestshown in Fig. 4 and it will be evidentthat the openings are substantially larger than the slide rods so thatno binding can Occur. The vslide rods 84 are operated in synchronismwith thepunch and for thus operating the rods I providelaterallyextending brackets 86 which are secured to opposite sides of the crosshead 46 andextend out loosely into openings 87 in the lateralenlargements 24 of the frame. The extremities of the brackets 86 carrybushings 88 which slid.- ably receive the adjacent ends of the sliderods 84 and at these ends the slide rods are provided with nuts 89 whichhold collars '90 tightly against shoulders upon the rods. Thisconstruction is such that upon the forward or working movement of thepunch the bushings 83 will slide freely upon the rods 84 without movingthe rods as will be understood. The opposite ends of the slide rods 84extend through bearings 91 se.- cured upon the end of the frame and passthrough the apertured ends of a transverse yoke 92 which crosses theouter end of the slide ex-- tension H. Nuts 93-94 'upon the ends of theslide rods anchor the same to the yoke 92 permitting adjustment of theyokewith respect to the rods in a manner which will be clearly apparent.At its center the yoke 92 has a stop screw 95 which is adapted to engagea boss 96 upon the adjacent end of the slide extension H in such mannerthat a movement of the slide rods 84 and of the yoke to the right asviewed in Fig. 4 will cause the screw to engage and correspondingly movethe slide extension and the slide 54. It will thus be understood thatupon the forward or working stroke of the punch the lost motionconnections provided between the cross heads 85 and the slide rods 84will permit the punch to travel without the movement of the yoke 92 orof the slide 64. As the punch then completes the working stroke andforces the grid plate into the die in order to trim off the margin G ofthe plate the ejector plate 62 will be pushed into the die in the mannerpreviously-set forth.

The lengths of the rods 84 and the position of" the yoke 92 thereon aswell as the adjustment of the stop screw 95 are all then such that asthe punch approaches the end of its return stroke away from the die, thebushings 88 in the ends of the brackets 85 will engage the collars 90and pull the slide rods 84 in the same direction. The adjustment isfurther such that the amount of this movement of the slide rods 84 willbe sufficient to exactly return the slide 64 and ejector plate 62 totheir normal positions as the punch reaches the end of its returnstroke.

It will be observed that the frictional engagement between the shoes69-48 and the slide extension H will be such as to hold the slide andejector plate in either of its two said positions without requiring theuse of any spring such as have been previously used for similarpurposes. It will further be noted that the massive construction of theslide and ejector plate and its frictional retarded movement is such asto provide an inertia sufficient to enable the punch to flatten out agrid plate against the ejector plate. As the grid plates come from thecasting machine they are frequently warped and it is very desirable thatthe punch strike the plates with sufiicient force to flatten them outand leave them perfectly straight for succeeding operations asaforesaid. The inertia provided by my ejector mechanism provides afoundation by which the punch may strike the plates and bring them outfiat before and as the margins are sheared away.

The grid plates are arranged to be fed one at a time to the die by amechanism later to be described and the operation of which is such as todrop the plates one at a time to a vertical position immediately overthe face of the die 60. In this position the plates come to rest withtheir lugs H in supported relation upon hanger fingers 9'! as best shownin Fig. 14, which fingers are mounted on and project from the face ofthe die in position to upwardly engage lower edges of the said lugs.When thus supported in front of the die upon their lugs H, the gridplates A are roughly registered with the die but due to the fact thatclearance must be provided between the fingers 91 so that the plates maydrop easily down therebetween and due, too, to the fact that the lugs Hmay sometimes be slightly irregular in shape I provide added means foraccurately centering the grid plates with respect to the die opening toinsure accurate trimming of the plates. Such centering means comprisesregistering pins 98 which are best shown in Fig. 6 and which are securedto the punch plate '1 so that they project forwardly toward the die. Theforward or free end of the pins 98 are tapered as indicated at 99 andare therefore adapted to enter the aforesaid openings I provided in therough cast plates A adjacent the lug-s H. The pins 98 further havestraight portions [60 which terminate in the aforesaid tapered ends 99and the diameter of these straight portions is such as to quite tightlyfit the aforesaid openings I. As will now be clearly evident the forwardmovement of the punch will cause the pointed ends of the pins 98 toenter the openings I and the straight portions 100 to force themselvestightly thereinto and it will be apparent that the pointed ends of thepins will have a centering effect such as to very accurately locate thegrid plates with respect to the punch and die. I am thus able to soaccurately trim the plates that the individual grids B-C thereof willhave margins of the desired even widths at all sides, and this verymaterially facilitates the pasting operation which occurs later in themanufacturing process.

The feed mechanism for feeding the grid plates to the punch and diecomprises as its primary elements a pair of strippers or stripper bars101 which are secured in transversely spaced and vertically dependingpositions to stripper slides I02 which are vertically, slidably mountedupon guide bars I133. The guide bars )3 are secured in upstandingpositions by means of bolts I04 to side brackets 105 secured in turn bybolts I05 upon the sides of the frame over the cross head 46. In suchposition the strippers llli are arranged directly over the die 50 andthey are so supported that they may move upwardly and downwardly invertical planes located immediately forward of the die face. To thusoperate the strippers, I provide a tubular rock shaft HI! which isjournaled upon a fixed shaft 18 secured in apertured bosses IE9 at theends of the side plates I and from this rock shaft there is extended anarm I Hi pivotally connected at III to a crank H2. The crank H2 hangsdown along the adjacent end of the drive shaft 2? upon which is securedan eccentric disk having a pin H4 connected to the lower end of thecrank. Arms llii are then extended from the rock shaft Hl'l toward thestripper slides I02 to which the extremities of the arms are connectedby links H6. The arrangement is thus obviously such that the rotation ofthe drive shaft will oscillate the rock shaft Hil moving the arms H5upwardly and downwardly at the ends connected to the links HE, andmoving the slides m2 and attached strippers It] upwardly and downwardlyupon the guide bars. In their normal positions the strippers lill standin vertically spaced relation well above the die 68 as shown in Figs.3-10.

The rough cast grid plates A are fed to the machine by a chain conveyorsystem which is quite similar to conveyors used in prior patentsheretofore referred to and as here shown the conveyor comprises spacedsprocket chains 1 if which run over sprockets secured upon inner andouter sprocket shafts HS-i [9. The outer shaft H3 is mounted in bearingsI20 adjustably secured to frame members [2| extending from the frame outaoove the friction device for the stripper slide, and this shaft isdriven by a sprocket chain 122 from a motor I23 mounted upon the end ofthe frame below said friction device. The inner shaft H9 is journaled inbearing members 12?- secured upon the frame above the die bed 52 and thesprocket chains H? are thus positioned above the ejector slide mechanismand run parallel with each other, longitudinally of the frame. The shaftH9 does not connect the sprockets at this end of the chain and the shaftis in reality only short steel shafts journaled in the bearings I24. Thechains are so driven by the motor I23 that their upper spans or flightsrun in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 toward the strippers Isl andthe spacing of the chains is such that the plates A may be supported bytheir lugs H upon the chains to be carried thereby toward the strippers.This is, as stated, a well-known means for transporting or conveying theplates and no further description should be necessary herein. Secured tothe frame and extending along the inside of the chains II! are guidestrips I25 which terminate at their ends a short distance from the pathof the strippers IUI and the upper edges of these guide strips angledownwardly toward their extremities as designated at I26 so that as thegrid plates are carried toward the strippers the lugs H will drop offthe chains onto these angular portions or edges of the plates. Thisconstruction is best seen in Fig. 10 and it will be apparent that, asthe sprocket chains III run downwardly over the sprockets at this end ofthe conveyor, the lugs H will be dropped down upon the guide strips I25and that the inclined edges I26 thereof will allow the grid plates toslide downwardly to ward the strippers I I. In their normal positionsthe strippers IOI will stop this movement of the grid plates, or inother words, the plates will pile up against the strippers and the lowerends of the strippers will contact the lugs H. Said lower ends of thestrippers IIlI have notches I21 open toward the plates and into whichnotches the lugs H of the plate nearest the strippers will come to restas seen in Fig. 12. Actually the grid plates nearest the strippers IIIImove off the edges I25 of the guide strips I25 and they are temporarilysupported by fingers I28 having hooks I29 which proiect inwardly towardthe outer surfaces of the grid plates I25 in such positions that theplate lugs may drop upon the hooks I29 and be supported thereby. Thefingers I28 are supported by means later to be described in suchposition that the hooks I29 will supportably engage the lugs H of thegrid plate resting in notches I2'I in the strippers I9I, so that thisplate will not drop clear but will be positively fed to the die byaction of the strippers.

Positioned below the transfer point between the conveyor mechanism andthe strippers are guide members designated generally at I39 having upperand lower vertically spaced hinge eyes I3I by which they are pivotallymounted upon pins I32 carried in brackets I33 secured to support barsI34 forming part of the support for the stripper guide bars H13 andattached to the side brackets I05. The guide members I30 have verticallyelongated narrow guide ribs I35 which extend from a point immediatelyabove the die 6!] to positions immediately below the hooks I29 on thefingers I 28. In their normal positions the guide ribs I35 further standin substantially the same vertical plane as the edges of the strippersIOI as seen in Fig. and to thus hold the ribs I35 in their normalpositions I provide springs I35 (Fig. 13) which are stretched betweenarms I31 extending from the upper hinge eyes I3 I, and which areconnected to eye screws I33 secured in cars I39 formed on the bracketsI33 which carry the hinge pins. The operation of the springs I36 as suchas to tend to oscillate the guide members I39 in a direction such as toproject the ribs I35 into the path of the strippers I III but suchmovement of the guide members are limited by stops I49 formed on thearms I31 and engaging adiustablestop screws I4I upon the brackets I33 sothat in their normal positions as aforesaid the ribs I 35 will standjust clear of the downward path of the strippers. The upper extremitiesof the guide ribs I35 are beveled off as indicated at I42 as seen inFig. 10.

The aforesaid fingers I28 are secured to and depend downwardly fromshort shafts I43 which are journaled in upward extensions I44 of thebearing members I24 and the fingers are so supported that they extenddownwardly clear of the ends of the plate lugs H with the aforesaidhooks I 29 turned inwardly therebeneath and terminating just short ofthe adjacent corners of the plates I 25. Expansion coil springs, one ofwhich is shown at I45 in Fig. 16, are braced against the fingers I28 insuch position as to normally tend to swing the fingers toward thestrippers IIII and such movement is limited by stop nuts I45 upon studsI41 screwed in the bearings I21; and extending loosely through openingsI48 in the fingers. The nuts I46 are so adjusted that the fingers I28will stand with their hooks I29 in position to support the lugs H of thegrid plate engaged by the strippers IIII. But the pivotal support of thefingers is such that they may move clear of the path of this grid platein order to allow the strippers to feed the plate downwardly, as will beclearly evident. Such clearing movement of the fingers I28 is yieldablypermitted by the springs I45 and as shown in Fig. 16 these springs arepositioned in sockets I49 formed for their accommodation in the barmembers I24 and screws I59 plug these sockets to act as supports for thesprings. The notches I21 in the strippers IIJI do not extend entirelyacross the strippers but terminate short of the outer edges thereofleaving cam ribs I5I shown in Figs. 10-11 adapted, upon the downwardtravel of the strippers, to engage cam surfaces I52 upon the fingers I28and thereby to urge the fingers out of the way of the plate being fed bythe strippers.

As the grid plates approach the strippers the ends of their lugs H movebetween end guides I53 which are secured to inner faces of the hearingmembers I24 and have ribs I54 so spaced as to just provide clearancetherebetween for the plate lugs. This insures that the plates will beregistered transversely and prevents any end-wise displacement of theplates such as might interfere with the proper registry of their lugs Hwith the stripper notches I27. I also provide on the bearing members I24hold-down bars I55 having lower edges I53 which slope downwardly towardthe strippers. The lower edges I56 overhang the lugs H of the gridplates and, adjacent the point to which the plates are engaged by thestrippers, these edges stand in closely spaced relation to the upperedges of the lugs. The purpose here is to prevent the grid plates frommoving upwardly for any reason to a point such that the notches I27could not engage the lugs H and it will be evident in Fig. 10 that theupper ends of the notches I21 stand well above the lowermost ends of thehold-down member edges I56 when the strippers are in normal positions,for this purpose.

In the operation of this conveyor and feed mechanism the grid platessupported by their lugs H upon the chains I I I will be moved toward thestrippers and will accumulate upon the upper edges of the guide stripsI25 in position to be stripped one at a time from this accumulated stackand fed downwardly to the die. It will, of course, be understood thatthe pressure of the grid plates approaching the transfer point willbring the endmost plates thereof tightly together exerting some pressureon the plate nearest the strippers and forcing its lugs H into thenotches Thus upon rotation of the drive-shaft 21 to start the punchtoward the die the rock shaft III! will be operated to move the arms II5 downwardly and the resulting downward movement of the strippers I3Iwill cause their notches I2I to start the endmost grid plate downwardtoward the die. Very slightly before the upper ends of the notches I2?engage the upper edges of the lugs H the cam ribs I5I will engage thefingers I28 swinging them just far enough away to permit these lugs toclear the hooks I29, permitting the plate to be moved downwardly by thestrippers. The lugs H of this plate will then engage the cam. ends I42of the guide ribs I35 swinging the guide members slightly away from thepath of the strippers but the spring bias upon these guide members issuch that the plate lugs will be gripped between the strippers and theguide ribs I35 in such manner as to hold the lugs tightly in the notchesI21 for the full, length of the ribs. The downward movement of thestrippers IIlI continues until the plate lugs H move off the guide ribsI35 at which point the plate is released immediately over the hangerfingers 91 upon which the lugs H then drop, positioning the plate overthe die. This feed action, of course, occurs before the punch reachesthe die and the strippers IOI move upwardly again as the punch startsits return stroke so that as the punch reaches its normal inoperativeposition the strippers are a ain in position to receive the lu s of thenext plate. It will be understood. of course, that the length of thestrippers IIJI is such that they will maintain enga ement with theaccumulation of grid plates while one plate is being fed to the die toprevent any disarrangement of the plates during this operation. As thestrip ers rise there is. of course, some friction upon the plate nearestthe strippers but it is prevented from being elevated by the hold-downmembers I55 previously described.

Battery grid plates are made in various thicknesses and in order that mymachine may feed one plate at a time accurately and positivelyregardless of the thickness of the plates. I contemplate beveling thelugs F at upper and lower portions as indicated at I51 in Fi s. 10-12.Since it is the thickness of the up er edges particularly of the lu s Hwh ch controls the r pro er engagement in the notches I21 and in thestrippers IIII, it will be apparent that by thus beveline the lugs theymay be caused to have edge thicknesses which are the same regardless ofthe thickness of the remainder of the lugs and of the plates themselves.In Fig. 12, I show several lugs of different thicknesses thus properlybeveled while I show one lug, designated at H, which is of the samethickness from top to bottom, as it would be for the thinnest plateusually made. Obviously instead of beveling the lugs H they may bemerely cut away to constant thickness at their outer ends from top tobottom as indicated at I58 in Fig. 13A. It will, of course, beunderstood that the fingers I28 and guide members I30 will accommodatethemselves to plates of all thicknesses and that by thus beveling orthinning the lugs H, the machine will feed the plates properly one at atime even if a number of different sizes of plates occur in the samebatch.

As has been previously mentioned, the rough plates as they are receivedfrom the castin machine are frequently warped and it therefore may occurthat the end plates next to the strippers may have a tendency to buckleoutward away from the accumulated rank of plates. In order to overcomethis and to hold the plate straight as it is fed downwardly to the die,as well as to support the center of the accumulated stack of plates Iprovide a pressure roller indicated at I59 (Fig. 3) which is positionedmidway of and below the strippers IIII (when they are raised) and isiournaled at the lower end of an arm I60 pivoted upon a transverse pinI6I carried in a bracket extension I62 of a bracket plate I63. Saidbracket plate I63 is secured at I64 to the base I65 which joins theaforesaid side brackets I and which is, of course, a rigid part of theframe. The roller I59 is thus so positioned that it will engage thecenter of the plate nearest to the strippers MI and the roller is heldat such engagement, while the strippers are elevated and while they arein processes of engaging and starting this plate downwardly, by aplunger let arranged to slide toward and away from the arm I66 below thepin IISI. The said plunger I66 is actuated by an arm I67 extendingradially and downwardly from the tubular rock shaft II and provided witha contact screw I68 adapted to engage a sleeve I59 slidably mounted uponthe plunger. A hearing I19 slidably supports the sleeve I69 whileapertured ears I'II loosely pass the plunger and support it for axialmovements. An expansion coil spring I12 is placed on the plunger betweenthe sleeve I69 and a collar I13 conventionally adjustably supported uponthe plunger and this spring is thus so positioned as to normally urgethe plunger I66 toward and into contact with the arm I60 to bring theroller I59 to bear against the grid plate. The arrangement, however, issuch that when the strippers IBI move downwardly the resulting upwardmovement of the arm I51 caused by rotation of the rock shaft IE? willcause the stop screw I68 to clear the end of the sleeve I69 which maythen move axially with respect to the plunger I56 under pressure of thespring I72 to relieve the force with which the roller 159 is urgedagainst the grid plate. Thus it will be seen that as the strippersobtain a firm grip upon the lugs Hof the grid plate and carry these logsdown against the guide members I39, the pressure of the roller I59 willbe relieved allowing the plate then to pass on down to the die with outinterference. A retractile coil spring H4 is provided and is so arrangedas to pull the roller I59 away from the grid plate when the plunger IE6is allowed to move axially by the aforesaid operation of the arm I t!during the downward travel of the strippers IIlI. Adjustable stop nutsI'I5 are threaded upon the plunger I65 and are arranged to engage one ofthe apertured cars so that the positions of the roller I59 may beadjusted as will be understood.

In the trimming operation the punch 59 will shear out the grid plate toproper shape and will, as previously set out, force this part of theplate into the die opening and against the ejector plate 62. The scrapmaterial formed by the marginal frame G which is trimmed off will thenbe positioned around the punch 59 and it must, of course, be removed anddisposed of before the next operation. For this purpose I provide astripper plate or frame I88 which is supported over the face of the diein spaced parallel relation thereto by means of studs NH and interposedspacers I32. This stripper plate I83 has an openin I83 adapted to nicelyclear the punch 59 and it will further be understood that the stripperplate is so positioned that the punch must pass through it beforereaching the grid plate which is supported over the face of the die.Thus it will be evident that when the punch completes its working strokeand travels back on its return stroke it will carry along the trimmedoff frame G of the rough cast plate and as the punch travels backthrough the opening in the stripper plate this waste frame will beengaged by the plate and pulled or stripped off the punch. Thefrictional grip of the scrap frame around the shearing edges of thepunch is sufficient to carry the scrap back against the stripper plate Ibut this grip upon the scrap by the punch is augmented by thehereinbefore de- "scribed locating pins 98 which force themselves intothe openings I in the grid-plates during the punching operation. Thusthe scrap frame of material will in all cases be pulled away from thedie so that the lugs H may clear the locating :fingers 9? and allow thescrap to drop away from the space between the punch and die and it will'further be notedthat this stripping mechanism permits'the'scrap to dropinto-the clear without requiring that the scrap be out into sections as'hasallprevious trimming machines of my knowledge. As'shown in Fig. 6the stripper plate I89 is provided with the necessary openings I85 topass the pins 99% the punch moves toward the .die.

To separately dispose of the trimmed gridplates iandthe scrap I providefirst of all "a chute I89 which extends transversely between the frameisides 2I22 and opens up beneath the die and the stripper plate I89 forthe full width thereof. Thus both the trimmed plate'as it is ejectedfrom the die by the ejector plate '92 and the frame of scrap material asit isstripped from the punch by the stripper plate may drop edgewisethrough the chute I99 of their own weight. To then separate the trimmedplates from the scrap, I provide a gate I8! extending transverselybeneath the open lower end of the chute I86 and swingably supported atits ends by brackets I99 fastened to an actuating shaft I99 journaledtransversely through the frame side members :2I-22 In'its normalposition the gate I9? extends angularly beneath the bottom opening ofthe chute I89 downwardlytoward a curved guide plate I90 which extendstoward and terminates over the receiving end of a delivery conveyordesignated generally at I 9| Theplate I99 is adjustably supportedby'arod I92 in the base frame .of the machine and the conveyor I9I maybe a belt or any other suitable-type of conveyoreither built as a partof the machine or as an auxiliary part and merely slipped into the openend of the frame beneath the end-ofthe plate I99.

The aforesaid normal position of the'gate isi is the position it assumesas the punch completes its working stroke but the gate isals'o movableto a depending position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 where itsubstantially clears the plate I99 and hangs almost straight down fromthe chute I86. For thus positioning the gate I9? I provide at the rearend of the frame a rocker member designated generally'at I93 in Fig. '2pivoted on a cross shaft 29?. This rockermember has upwardly forked endsI94 and I95 between which plays aroller I99 carried by a'bracke-t I91secured'to one ,of the cross head brackets 96'above the said rocker. Ashort crank 98 issecured upon the rear end of the'actuating rod H39 andvpivotally connected between this crank I98 and the rocker I93 is a linkI99. The cross shaft 291 is further provided upon one end with aperipherally grooved brake pulley 299 (Fig. l) and the curved ends ZBIof a pair of brake arms 292 engage this wheel under influence of aspring 29-3 upon a stud 29% which joins the arms. The arms-292 are heldagainst rotation with the pulley by engagement at their ends upon a stud295 secured to the adjacent side 2| of the frame and this brakemechanism has the purpose of frictionally holding the associatedactuating-rod l89 and the gate I81 in any adjusted position. It will nowbe understood that as the punch approaches the end of its return strokethe roller I96 carried by the-bracket 86 will engage the end 1-95 of-therocker I 93 andoscillate it toithe left as viewed in "Fig. *2. "Asthismovement occurs the gate I8I will :be'movedto its aforesaid normalposition-bythe'pull exerted through the link I 99 upon the crank I98. Onthe other hand, as the punch'approaches the limit of 'its'forward, orworking, travel-toward the die, the roller I96 will engage the other end194 of the rocker memher and move the gate I3? in the-opposite directionand toward its dotted'line'po'sition in Fig. 3 as will be understood.Actually as seen in'Fig. 2 the roller I99 does not engage the'ends I94and I of the rocker member but rather engages adjustable stop screws 299in these ends and these stop screws may be adjusted to vary the anglethrough which the gate is-swung by the 'travel'movement-of'the-punch.

The rocker member I93 is made-'in'two-similar sections I93a and I931)which are independently journaled upon the shaft 201. Normally,*however,the two sections of the rocker are held-together and caused tooperate-as-a unit by*'a-stud 298 which is secured "to the section I93aand carries a spring 299 which bears between anut at the end of the studand the adjacent-section I931). The arrangementis thus such that shouldscrap material 'or a grid plate become jammed in the gate I8! no damagewould occur due to the fact that the gate could not then be moved by therocker. Such "jamming would of course occur only when the gate is beingmoved fromits dotted line toits full line p ositionj in Fig. 3but ifiajam should occur the-roller 199 upon coming in contact with the screw299 and the rocker end I95 would merelyswing the section I'93a of therocker leaving the section I931) to which the link I99 is connected freeto stand in its position caused bylockingof the'gate.

Should a jam thus occur in the disposal of the trimmed plates and scrapsthe machine would, 'of course, have 'to'be shut down until it wascleared and .I provide automatic means 'for this purpose comprising anelectric switch 2I.9 se cured to the frame side 22 below the rockermember and connected in any suitable fashion to control the motor 42runningthe punch and associated parts of the machine. The switch 2I0will of course normally close the circuit to the motor 42 but it will beactuated to open the circuit upon the aforesaid spreading movement ofthe rocker sections I93I93b just described. For this purpose there isprovided an arm 2! I pivoted -'at'2 I2 to the 'rockersection I93a andconnected to aplunger 2I3 'slidably supported and toward the actuatingbutton'2l4 of the switch. Normally theplunger'2l3 clears the switchbutton 2I4'and is held in uch position by the engagement of 'anabutment2I5 on the arm with an upper inner corner of the rocker section 'I93b.Should however the rocker section I93a move away from the sectionI93bthis abutment 2I5 clears the said corner portion and a coil spring2I6 connected to the arm 2 is then enabled to pull the-arm downwardlyand thrust the plunger 2I3 against the switch button to shut off themachine.

While it is believed that the operation of the machine will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing it will be briefly described at thispoint, particularly in order to bring out the timed relation of theseveral operations. Assuming the punch to be in its normal inoperativeposition withdrawn from the die, the-strippers JM to be in their raisedpositions and. a number of grid plates to have been accumulated at thefeed point, theoperation of the; machine will causethe punch to movetoward the die, and at the same time cause the'strippers NH to movedownward stripping off one grid plate and dropping it between the punchand die. The punch will then pick up this grid plate and strike itagainst the ejector plate 62 to straighten the grids and as thismovement of the punch is completed the grid plate will be trimmed.Immediately, then the punch starts its return stroke and the strippersstart back up to positions for stripping oif the next plate. As thepunch moves back through the stripper plate I80 the trimmed olf frame ofscrap is stripped from the punch and falls down through the chute I86.At this time the gate 18'! is in the dotted line position of Fig. 3,having been moved thereto by the punch on its forward, working stroke,and the stripped off scrap may then drop clear, past the gate and into apit below the machine for periodic removal and remelting.

As the punch completes its return stroke, and after the scrap hasdropped clear, the gate I81 is moved to it full line position (Fig. 3)and immediately then the rods 84 are pulled back by the punch causingthe ejector plate 62 to eject the trimmed plate from the die. Thistrimmed plate then falls through the chute I86, and is guided by thegate [31 and plate l9fl onto the conveyor l9! which carries it away fromthe machine, past an inspection point (not shown).

The foregoing completes one cycle of operation of the machine and themachine then carries on in similar manner as long as operated. It willbe apparent that the feeding, punching, and scrap and plate separationoperations are all carried out in positively and mechanically timedrelation and that the machine may thus operate rapidly with littlelikelihood of jamming or otherwise becoming inoperative.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A machine of the character described for trimming off the marginalframe-like waste material from a rough cast grid plate, comprising adie, a punch supported for movement in a horizontal plane toward andaway from the die, a stripper member located in the path of the punchand having an opening to clear the punch as it moves toward the die,means for feeding rough cast plates one at a time to a hanging positionbetween the die and the said stripper member, and the said punch beingadapted to force the plate into the die and to carry the trimmed offframe-like scrap material away from the die into engagement with thestripper member whereby said member willv strip the scrap off the punch.

2. In a battery grid plate trimming machine, a

die having an opening, a punch supported for movement toward and awayfrom the die and adapted to enter the opening in the die and trim offthe margin of the plate, an ejector member positioned in the opening inthe die in the path of the punch, and frictionally retarded means formoving said ejector member at the completion of each trimming operationfor ejecting trimmed plates from the die.

3. In a machine of the character described for trimming off the marginof a battery grid plate, a die having an opening, a punch mounted formovement toward and away from the die and adapted to enter said openingwith a shearing engagement with the margins thereof, means forsupporting a plate over the face of the die, an ejector member movablypositioned in the opening in the die and normally projecting therefromwhereby the movement of the punch toward the die will force the plateagainst the ejector member and into the opening in the die, meansoperative in timed relation to the movement of the punch for moving theejector member outwardly from the die and ejecting the trimmed platefrom the die opening, and means operative to frictionally retard themovement of the ejector plate whereby the punch may strike the gridplate against said ejector plate with a force sufiicient to straightenthe plate before it is trimmed.

4. In a machine of the character described for trimming off the marginof a battery grid plate, a die having an opening, a punch mounted formovement toward and away from the die and adapted to enter said openingwith a shearing engagement with the margins thereof, means forsupporting a plate over the face of the die, an ejector member movablypositioned in the opening in the die and normally projecting therefrom.

whereby the movement of the punch toward the die will force the plateagainst the ejector member and into the opening in the die, meansoperative in timed relation to the movement of the punch for moving theejector member outwardly from the die and ejecting the trimmed platefrom the die opening, a slide member supporting the said ejector plate,and means engaging a portion of the slide member and operative tofrictionally retard the movement of the ejector slide whereby the punchmay strike the grid plate against said ejector plate with a forcesuflicient to straighten the plate before it is trimmed.

5. A machine of the character described for trimmin away the margin of astorage battery grid plate having lugs extending from opposite edges,comprising a die having a die face, a punch movable toward and away fromthe die face, hanger members upon the die for engaging the lugs of aplate and supporting the plate over the die face until the plate istrimmed, the said die having an opening adapted to be entered by thepunch with a shearing action whereby the trimmed plate will be forcedinto the die While the scrap material remains around the punch and isdrawn off the hanger members as the punch moves away from the die, andmeans for stripping oi the Waste material from the punch as the lugs onthe waste material trimmed off from the plate clear said hanger members.

6. A machine of the character described for trimming the margin fromabout a rough cast grid plate of the type having oppositely extendingmarginal lugs and having openings in its waste margin material,comprising a die having an upright face and an opening therein, a punchsupported for movement toward and away from the die and adapted to entersaid die opening, hanger members positioned adjacent the die and adaptedto engage and support each plate by its lugs in a depending positionover the face of the die, registering pins extending from the punch andadapted to enter the said openings in the grid plate and to therebyaccurately register the plate with the die opening, the said pins havingtapered extremities adapted to enter and center themselves in the saidopenings, the said pins having also straight portions of a diameter suchas to tightly fit the said openings and to thereby draw the trimmed oifwaste material away from the die as the punch moves away therefrom, andmeans for stripping the waste material off the punch.

7. In a battery grid plate trimming machine, a die having a die openingand a punch movable toward and away from the die and into the dieopening for trimming a grid plate supported thereover, the improvementwhich comprises a movably mounted ejector member positioned in theopening and movable therein by contact of a grid plate driven by thepunch, means actuated by the punch as it moves away from the die formoving the ejector member in the same direction and ejecting the trimmedplate from the die opening, and cooperating friction producing elementsfor frictionally retarding the movements of the ejector member.

8. In a battery grid plate trimming machine, a die having a die openingand a punch movable toward and away from the die and into the dieopening for trimming a grid plate supported thereover, the improvementwhich comprises a movably mounted ejector member positioned in theopening and movable therein by contact of a grid plate driven by thepunch, means actuated by the punch as it moves away from the die formoving the ejector member in the same direction and ejecting the trimmedplate from the die opening, an extension from the ejector member, and aspring urged friction device engaging a part of the extension forfrictionally retarding the movements of the ejector member.

9. In a grid plate trimming machine, the combination with a die and apower operated punch cooperating to trim ofi certain parts of batterygrid plates and means for delivering the trimmed plates and trimmed oifparts thereof along a common path, of a movable gate member positionedadjacent said path and mechanically operative to positions forseparating the trimmed plates from the trimmed oil parts and directingthem along separate paths, and means operative in response to theoccurrence of a jam at the gate member for shutting off the power to thepunch.

10. In a grid plate trimming machine, the combination with a die and apower operated punch cooperating to trim oif certain parts of batterygrid plates and means for delivering the trimmed plates and trimmed oifparts thereof along a common path, of a movable gate member positionedadjacent the said path and movable sequentially to and between positionsfor separat ing the trimmed plates from the trimmed off parts anddirectin them alone separate paths, means for so positioning the gatemember, and said positioning means including elements releasable shoulda jam occur at the gate member and operative upon release to shut offthe power to the punch.

'11. In a grid plate trimming machine, the combination with a die and apower operated punch cooperating to trim oiT certain partsof batterygrid plates and means for delivering the trimmed plates and trimmed oiTparts thereof along a common path, of a movable gate member positionedadjacent the said path and movable sequentially to and between positionsfor separating the trimmed plates from the trimmed off parts anddirecting them along separate paths, means for so positioning the gatemember, said means including a two part rocker element connected to thegate member, means normally connecting the rocker parts to operate as aunit but '18 releasable should a jam occur at the gate member to permitone part to move independently of the gate member, and means operativeby each independent movement of the one part to shut on the power to thepunch.

12. In a grid plate trimming machine, the combination with a die and apower operated punch cooperating to trim off certain parts of batterygrid plates and means for delivering the trimmed plates and trimmed offparts thereof along a common path, of a movable gate member positionedadjacent the said path and movable sequentially to and between positionsfor separating the trimmed plates from the trimmed 01f parts anddirecting them along separate paths, means for so positioning the gatemember, said means including a two part rocker member having relativelyswingable parts yieldably held together to operate as a unit, means forrocking the rocker member, means connecting one part of the rockermember to the gate for swinging the same responsive to said rockingmovement, and means operative by the other part of the rocker member forshutting off power to the punch should a jam occur at the gate.

13. In a grid plate trimming machine for trimming ofi certain parts ofbattery grid plates and having cooperating punch and die elements, apower operated reciprocating part operating the punch, a swingablysupported gate operative to and between two positions to separate thetrimmed plates from the trimmed off parts thereof. means for swingingthe gate comprising a rocker having two relatively movable parts andmeans normally and yieldably restraining the parts to rock as a unit,the rocker parts being forked and having spaced end portions, actuatingmeans on the punch reciprocating part movable between said end portionsand as the punch reciprocates alternately engaging those portions toswing the rocker in opposite directions, means connecting one of therocker parts to the gate for swinging the same, and means operative bythe other rocker part upon movement thereof independent of the gate dueto the occurrence of a jam thereat for stopping the punch.

14. A machine of the character described for trimming marginal wastematerial from grid plates, comprising a die having a die opening, apunch supported for movement toward and away from the die and to entersaid die opening and trim off the margin of a plate, a stripper memberlocated in the path of the punch and having an opening to clear thepunch as it moves, means for feeding plates one at a time to a hangingposition over the die opening and between the die and stripper member,the punch being adapted to force the plate into the die opening and thento carry the trmmed off marginal waste away from the die into engagementwith the stripper member whereby said member will strip off this waste,an ejector member positioned in the die opening in the path of thepunch, and frictionally retarded means for moving the ejector member atthe completion of each trimming operation for ejecting trimmed platesfrom the die opening.

15. In a machine for trimming ofi' marginal scrap from battery plates, acooperating punch and die for trimming the plates and means associatedtherewith for first dropping the scrap and then the trimmed plates inparallel vertical paths at the completion of each operation, a gateswingably supported at one side of said paths and normally hanging in aposition clearing these paths whereby the scrap may fall free from thema- 19 chine, and means operated by thepunch for then swinging the gateto an angular position across said paths as the trimmed plate falls tothereby guide the said plate away from the path followed by the scrap.

ARTHUR DjLUND.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Stiles Dec. 13, 1881Number Number 20 Name 'Date Caldwell Mar. 2, 1886 Mason Jan. 20, 1891Saltzkorn Mar. 27, 1894 Carter Aug. 5, 1924 Bryce Nov. 30, 1926 HolmanMay 8, 1928 Beekman July 30, 1935 Lormor Aug. 19, 1941 Feldtkeller June22, 1943 Winkel May 8, 1945

